Arrival into Harar in Ethiopia
You need to get to Harar to do the hyena feeding which happens around 7pm at night and its a long bus ride so be ready for it!
You need to get a mini bus from Addis Ababa - the capital of Ethiopia. Once you get the bus it will take a long time through winding dangerous roads to get you to Harar. It can take between 8 and 15 hours. It's hilly but worth it.
Admire the views of Harar at night before the hyenas come.
It's a short walk to the hyena feeding in Harar.
How much does it cost?
The price is about 100 Birr per person. 5 or 6 US dollars
What is hyena feeding?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What is hyena feeding in Harar?
We headed down the street to feed hyenas.
Within minutes he is whistling out and calling hyenas to appear from nowhere. And they do. They are quick off the mark. One hyena comes and stands a mere 4-5 metres from us. The hyena knows the score. It's going to get fed raw meat by the humans that are here!
You'll be buzzing and you won't feel scared. I was loving it and couldn't wait to get face to face with one of these beasts!
There were about 3 hyenas there at this point, taking it in turns to take the meat. By this stage there were 4 of us, a Canadian guy called Phil had turned up, and as he arrived last he sort of became the one to go up first!
These are the three main things you will do at the hyena feeding:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Feeding the hyenas hand into mouth.
3. Get ready for the hyena to jump on your back! Crazy!
It's a crazy experience if a tad scary!
How dangerous is hyena feeding in Harar?
It's not too dangerous! Hyenas have a bigger bite and jaw than lions and cheetahs, incredibly. But they are not hunters or predators - their peronsality is to be more shy and timid. For this reason, they devour any dead meat they see, and they scavenge the streets for any food they can find. They go for the easy stuff - dead animals, rubbish bins and meat that just happens to be lying there. So this means you shouldn't really have any fear.
Is it possible to take photos?
Taking photos is fine - you can even watch if you're too scared! I'd say 50 Birr for a non-partaker is a fair sum (just under $3 US Dollars), but if you want to go lower then that's up to you. It's not like there are tens of tourists all hanging around taking photos of it. There will be a small group of people there only.
Overall this is an amazing experience and I totally recommend hyena feeding in Harar.
You need to get to Harar to do the hyena feeding which happens around 7pm at night and its a long bus ride so be ready for it!
You need to get a mini bus from Addis Ababa - the capital of Ethiopia. Once you get the bus it will take a long time through winding dangerous roads to get you to Harar. It can take between 8 and 15 hours. It's hilly but worth it.
Admire the views of Harar at night before the hyenas come.
It's a short walk to the hyena feeding in Harar.
How much does it cost?
The price is about 100 Birr per person. 5 or 6 US dollars
What is hyena feeding?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What is hyena feeding in Harar?
We headed down the street to feed hyenas.
Within minutes he is whistling out and calling hyenas to appear from nowhere. And they do. They are quick off the mark. One hyena comes and stands a mere 4-5 metres from us. The hyena knows the score. It's going to get fed raw meat by the humans that are here!
You'll be buzzing and you won't feel scared. I was loving it and couldn't wait to get face to face with one of these beasts!
There were about 3 hyenas there at this point, taking it in turns to take the meat. By this stage there were 4 of us, a Canadian guy called Phil had turned up, and as he arrived last he sort of became the one to go up first!
These are the three main things you will do at the hyena feeding:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Feeding the hyenas hand into mouth.
3. Get ready for the hyena to jump on your back! Crazy!
It's a crazy experience if a tad scary!
How dangerous is hyena feeding in Harar?
It's not too dangerous! Hyenas have a bigger bite and jaw than lions and cheetahs, incredibly. But they are not hunters or predators - their peronsality is to be more shy and timid. For this reason, they devour any dead meat they see, and they scavenge the streets for any food they can find. They go for the easy stuff - dead animals, rubbish bins and meat that just happens to be lying there. So this means you shouldn't really have any fear.
Is it possible to take photos?
Taking photos is fine - you can even watch if you're too scared! I'd say 50 Birr for a non-partaker is a fair sum (just under $3 US Dollars), but if you want to go lower then that's up to you. It's not like there are tens of tourists all hanging around taking photos of it. There will be a small group of people there only.
Overall this is an amazing experience and I totally recommend hyena feeding in Harar.
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